Getting young people excited about science and technology: in the context of a sponsoring campaign, Zschimmer & Schwarz is doing just that by fostering the robotics club at Freies Gymnasium Penig, a grammar school in the German federal state of Saxony. On the initiative of Jana Schinke and Andreas Grüneberg, employees of its subsidiary located in Mohsdorf, the internationally active chemical company is supporting Freies Gymnasium Penig near Chemnitz in the purchase of robot parts. The donation by Zschimmer & Schwarz was used to buy starter kits and additional parts for the construction of robots.

Under the name CHERO – a combination of the terms chemistry and robots – the students are now given insights into laboratory-like processes and automation. After the hardware has been installed and the first successful tests have been carried out, the robot arm responsible for chemical analysis can be controlled and moved. "The students have to configure and program the robots themselves," says Andreas Grüneberg, co-initiator of the project. "In this way, we encourage their interest in specialist and technical matters."

Zschimmer & Schwarz has been upholding a philosophy based on mutual respect and care since its foundation in 1894. On the occasion of the company’s 125-year anniversary, the shareholders of the Zschimmer & Schwarz Group started a new charitable programme: the 1,400 employees across 16 countries on five continents were asked to present local initiatives that the company could support with a donation.

“For more than 125 years, our company has represented a philosophy that always puts people first”, explains Monika Börner, shareholder of the Zschimmer & Schwarz Group. “Therefore, we try to give something valuable back to society and involve ourselves in projects that deliver direct and sustainable effects at our business locations.”

The expansion of the robotics club at Freies Gymnasium Penig is currently one of 14 charitable projects across Europe supported by Zschimmer & Schwarz with a total sum of around 200,000 Euro.